Before we delve into today's post, there are a few matters that I wanted to address since my blog is arguably the platform that I have the greatest influence on. I am sure that all those reading are perfectly aware of what has been happening recently, what with the murder of George Floyd and the demonstrations that are taking place all over the world in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against the racism that pervades in our society. It truly saddens me that this is an issue that continues to prevail in our society but the truth of the matter is that it's not enough to be saddened, for this alone is not going to change anything. We need to speak up, we need to sign petitions that will invoke constitutional reform, we need to donate to help various campaigns and organisations out if we have the means to do so and we need to continue educating ourselves and those around us. Recently on my Instagram, I spoke about doing one thing a day to better your life situation in a week, a month or a year's time. I still stand by that mantra, but I also challenge you to now do one thing (and preferably more) each day to improve such issues worldwide; knowledge is power after all, am I right? My personal recommendations so far include the books "The Hate U Give" and "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race", as well as this blog post by Brit Bennett. Let me know if you would like to me to begin including a recommendation about a book, documentary or podcast challenging social issues in every introduction from now on.
Who would have thought that, at the time I'm writing this post, it would have been well over a month since my A-Level French speaking exam? That may seem like a rather odd comment to make, but funnily enough it was in that exam that I was due to present my knowledge and have a discussion about regional languages in France. You see, prior to starting my research, I didn't even know that regional languages existed in France at all! Now, it would be quite a shame to waste all that newfound knowledge and so, inspired by the 'A Very Short Introduction' book series, I thought I would post my own little take here today. Let me know if you are interested in posts like these and be sure to let me know if I have missed anything out.
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GENERAL
Before we can delve into the crux of the matter, I believe it is crucial to establish what a regional language is and how it differs from a dialect. According to the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (we’ll come onto this document a little later), a regional or minority language is one that is "traditionally used within a given territory of a State by nationals of that State who form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the State's population" and one that is "different from the official language(s) of that State." This differs from a dialect, which is "a form of a language that people speak in a particular part of a country."
As stated by the French Ministry of Culture, there are 11 principal regional languages in France: Alsatian; Basque; Breton; Catalan; Corsican; Flemish; Ligurian; Lorraine Franconian; Franco-Provençal; Occitan and Oïl Languages. Following a census completed by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, we can conclude that the three most popular regional languages are Occitan (1,670,000 speakers), the Oïl Languages (1,420,000 speakers) and Alsatian (900,000 speakers) - though it is worth noting that this census was completed in 2007 and so we ought to take these figures with a pinch of salt.
In themselves, these figures seem rather great but what we need in order to be able to tackle this matter effectively is perspective. Why? You may ask. France has a population of 65 million people. and so all of a sudden these figures above seem rather minuscule. Perhaps unnervingly, we ought to also note that these very figures form part of a downward trend; that is to say, far fewer people are speaking regional languages today than ever before. In doing my research, there was one figure that stood out to me in particular. Before 1930, 30% of French children spoke a regional language with their parents. Between 1980 and 1990, however, this figure had diminished to a mere 3%. The percentage of those in favour of official recognition of regional languages has also decreased, from 78% of those surveyed in a study favourable in 1999 to 72% in 2015. That brought me to ponder the following: why are so fewer people speaking a regional language? Is the decline of regional languages necessarily a bad thing? What is the government doing to reverse the trend? Here are my findings:
As stated by the French Ministry of Culture, there are 11 principal regional languages in France: Alsatian; Basque; Breton; Catalan; Corsican; Flemish; Ligurian; Lorraine Franconian; Franco-Provençal; Occitan and Oïl Languages. Following a census completed by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, we can conclude that the three most popular regional languages are Occitan (1,670,000 speakers), the Oïl Languages (1,420,000 speakers) and Alsatian (900,000 speakers) - though it is worth noting that this census was completed in 2007 and so we ought to take these figures with a pinch of salt.
In themselves, these figures seem rather great but what we need in order to be able to tackle this matter effectively is perspective. Why? You may ask. France has a population of 65 million people. and so all of a sudden these figures above seem rather minuscule. Perhaps unnervingly, we ought to also note that these very figures form part of a downward trend; that is to say, far fewer people are speaking regional languages today than ever before. In doing my research, there was one figure that stood out to me in particular. Before 1930, 30% of French children spoke a regional language with their parents. Between 1980 and 1990, however, this figure had diminished to a mere 3%. The percentage of those in favour of official recognition of regional languages has also decreased, from 78% of those surveyed in a study favourable in 1999 to 72% in 2015. That brought me to ponder the following: why are so fewer people speaking a regional language? Is the decline of regional languages necessarily a bad thing? What is the government doing to reverse the trend? Here are my findings:
THE ROLE OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
It goes without saying that the provision of regional language teaching, or lack thereof, plays an important role in the declining popularity of these languages. Let me put it this way, would I have ever learnt French or even a little bit of German if the two languages were not offered at my school? Chances are, probably not! The same principle applies for regional languages and for that, it's rather concerning that only 2% of French pupils studied a regional language in 2013.
Why do so few pupils study a regional language? Interestingly, from what I gathered in my research, pupils are permitted to study a regional language in the same manner as that of a modern foreign language. Certain regions have also took it upon themselves to impose certain policies to ensure a good standard of regional language teaching; by way of example, children up to the age of 11 can expect to receive 3 hours of regional language teaching and culture a week in Corsica, after which it becomes optional. The problem with this, however, is that regional languages are still left competing with modern foreign languages because the latter are thought to far more beneficial in today's ever more globalised society. I must admit that, to a certain degree, I agree with this statement; who can begin to compare the potential reach you have in speaking a language with two billion speakers as opposed to one with less than 1 million? This will undoubtedly also translate in the number of resources, including teachers, available to teach regional languages successfully and continue this vicious cycle - if we can call it that.
Speaking of resources, I thought it would be worthwhile to touch upon the controversial new measures to the French Baccalaureate (A-Level equivalent) have impacted regional languages. Prior to the recent reforms, there were 3 main 'routes' that you could take in the Baccalaureate programme: Science, Literature or Social Sciences. Within each route were a series of obligatory subjects with some wiggle room to add subjects of your choice. In lieu of criticism that certain pathways were viewed more favourably than others, French President Emmanuel Macron decided to rid of these routes from the 2018-2019 academic year and instead impose a programme of 6 obligatory subjects and 2/3 specialist subjects. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this decision was faced with great backlash from various organisations who maintained that this system continued to put regional languages at a disadvantage in favour of other modern languages.
Why do so few pupils study a regional language? Interestingly, from what I gathered in my research, pupils are permitted to study a regional language in the same manner as that of a modern foreign language. Certain regions have also took it upon themselves to impose certain policies to ensure a good standard of regional language teaching; by way of example, children up to the age of 11 can expect to receive 3 hours of regional language teaching and culture a week in Corsica, after which it becomes optional. The problem with this, however, is that regional languages are still left competing with modern foreign languages because the latter are thought to far more beneficial in today's ever more globalised society. I must admit that, to a certain degree, I agree with this statement; who can begin to compare the potential reach you have in speaking a language with two billion speakers as opposed to one with less than 1 million? This will undoubtedly also translate in the number of resources, including teachers, available to teach regional languages successfully and continue this vicious cycle - if we can call it that.
Speaking of resources, I thought it would be worthwhile to touch upon the controversial new measures to the French Baccalaureate (A-Level equivalent) have impacted regional languages. Prior to the recent reforms, there were 3 main 'routes' that you could take in the Baccalaureate programme: Science, Literature or Social Sciences. Within each route were a series of obligatory subjects with some wiggle room to add subjects of your choice. In lieu of criticism that certain pathways were viewed more favourably than others, French President Emmanuel Macron decided to rid of these routes from the 2018-2019 academic year and instead impose a programme of 6 obligatory subjects and 2/3 specialist subjects. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this decision was faced with great backlash from various organisations who maintained that this system continued to put regional languages at a disadvantage in favour of other modern languages.
THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT
Having said the above, we cannot ignore the fact that there is a lot more to a language than a set of grammatical rules; while the extent of the relationship remains widely debated, what is certain is that language and culture are two concepts which are interlinked and thus the loss of one equates to the loss of another. It is not just that French government that appear to have noticed this, as evidenced by both national and international policies introduced to help reverse the trend of regional language decline.
One of the most important steps forward was taken in 1999 by then Vice President of the Superior Council of the French Language, Bernard Cerquiglini. It was Bernard who drew up an official list of languages in France with the objective of giving all languages spoken in the country equal status and promoting multilingualism in French politics. Similarly, we ought to note that Article 75-1 of the French Constitution states: "Regional languages are part of France's heritage." Needless to say, the sentiment of legitimacy created by such measures could act as an encouragement for French citizens to take up regional language learning.
This on its own, however, is not enough and this is where, for those who have been reading attentively, I will begin to delve into the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. This charter was adopted by the Council of Europe in 1992 with the intention of both protecting and promoting regional and minority languages in Europe. It is split into two parts and member states can ratify the charter based on either Part II or Part III, both of which set out comprehensive objectives for states to follow so as to best protect these languages. While France signed the charter in 1992, it has since never ratified it - meaning that the state has expressed its intent to follow the objectives set out by the treaty, but they will not face any reprimands or consequences for not following them accordingly.
Of course, there have been some measures implemented that would be in line with the suggestions of the treaty. The most pertinent example is perhaps that of bilingual road signs in Brittany and the areas surrounding the Basque Country - although, importantly, all of these road signs must also include the French. In that instance, why is more not being done? Why can't we have road signs that are strictly in Breton or Basque? Speaking from a purely personal point of view, it seems to boil down to two main factors: the fact that there are other "more important" issues at hand and the risk to a collective national identity. What we have to remember is that France has its own fair share of separatist movements (if you're up for some further research, I would highly recommend looking into how Catalonian nationalism fuelled the Corsican movement in 2018) and so giving regional languages greater bearing is thought by some to do nothing but add fuel to the fire.
That being said, I thought it would be worth mentioning that Emmanuel Macron was the only candidate who had mentioned regional languages in his political agenda during the 2017 elections, remarking how they enhance the country's diversity and cultural richness. Shortly after being elected, he wrote a Tweet about how the government will make regional language teaching successful and viable. As I'm sure we are all aware, however, it is one thing to make a claim and another to follow through with it.
One of the most important steps forward was taken in 1999 by then Vice President of the Superior Council of the French Language, Bernard Cerquiglini. It was Bernard who drew up an official list of languages in France with the objective of giving all languages spoken in the country equal status and promoting multilingualism in French politics. Similarly, we ought to note that Article 75-1 of the French Constitution states: "Regional languages are part of France's heritage." Needless to say, the sentiment of legitimacy created by such measures could act as an encouragement for French citizens to take up regional language learning.
This on its own, however, is not enough and this is where, for those who have been reading attentively, I will begin to delve into the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. This charter was adopted by the Council of Europe in 1992 with the intention of both protecting and promoting regional and minority languages in Europe. It is split into two parts and member states can ratify the charter based on either Part II or Part III, both of which set out comprehensive objectives for states to follow so as to best protect these languages. While France signed the charter in 1992, it has since never ratified it - meaning that the state has expressed its intent to follow the objectives set out by the treaty, but they will not face any reprimands or consequences for not following them accordingly.
Of course, there have been some measures implemented that would be in line with the suggestions of the treaty. The most pertinent example is perhaps that of bilingual road signs in Brittany and the areas surrounding the Basque Country - although, importantly, all of these road signs must also include the French. In that instance, why is more not being done? Why can't we have road signs that are strictly in Breton or Basque? Speaking from a purely personal point of view, it seems to boil down to two main factors: the fact that there are other "more important" issues at hand and the risk to a collective national identity. What we have to remember is that France has its own fair share of separatist movements (if you're up for some further research, I would highly recommend looking into how Catalonian nationalism fuelled the Corsican movement in 2018) and so giving regional languages greater bearing is thought by some to do nothing but add fuel to the fire.
That being said, I thought it would be worth mentioning that Emmanuel Macron was the only candidate who had mentioned regional languages in his political agenda during the 2017 elections, remarking how they enhance the country's diversity and cultural richness. Shortly after being elected, he wrote a Tweet about how the government will make regional language teaching successful and viable. As I'm sure we are all aware, however, it is one thing to make a claim and another to follow through with it.
THE ROLE OF THE EVERYMAN
Perhaps unsurprisingly, if local and national governments aren't going to do their bit, people are going to take matters into their own hands. Two measures in particular stood out to me: the publication of newspapers in regional languages, such as Le Courrier picard, and radio stations broadcasting in a regional language, like France Bleu Frequenza Mora. Why? For all the good that greater exposure of regional languages can have in better facilitating their everyday use, there is one key issue at hand: traditional media is becoming all the less popular with younger generations. How can we encourage younger generations to pick up regional languages if they are simply not being targeted? In this instance, I believe the example of the study community both within the realms of YouTube and blogging acts as an excellent allusion. With the rising popularity of figures such as Holly Gabrielle, Ali Abdaal and Eve Bennett, I would argue that studying has never been 'cooler' than it is now and, if there were more influencers out there doing, say, videos in regional languages or encouraging their followers to explore them, I believe that we could witness a smaller trend - albeit on a smaller level. I suppose on a general note, we must also think deeply about who it is we are giving our vote to and ensuring that our views are being represented. Particularly in France, too, participating in demonstrations and petitions to ensure that the issues that matter to you are on the political agenda.
SOURCES
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https://twitter.com/emmanuelmacron/status/1009751558970597378?lang=en